The Cazenovia Presbyterian Church will hold a Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at 8 p.m. Wednesday evening, Dec. 24. Elder Kevin Curtis will light the traditional Christ Candle in the middle of the advent wreath.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton to link with St. Stephen’s in Phoenix

Because of dwindling congregations, decreasing Mass attendance and a persistent shortage of priests, Catholic churches in the Diocese of Syracuse continue to consolidate. Baldwinsville’s St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church will link up with St. Stephen’s Church in Phoenix “upon the next pastoral opening at St. Stephen’s,” according to the Most Rev. Robert Cunningham, Bishop of Syracuse.

A holiday concert featuring the CNY Flute Choir will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7, at Manlius United Methodist Church. The program will include selected music from Handel's “Messiah,” familiar Christmas music including “Carol of the Bells” and “Silver Bells,” Ricky Lombardo's jazzy “Christmas Fantasy,” and more.

St. James Haiti Committee has finalized plans for its annual yard sale to be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, on Route 20 East past McDonald’s just outside the village of Cazenovia. Furniture, household items, appliances, athletic equipment, camping gear, tools, toys, decorations, games and crafts will be available.

It started when Good Shepherd Lutheran Church invited John and Leigh-Ann Tumino, founders of In My Father’s Kitchen (IMFK), to speak at a forum about their outreach to those living outdoors. They didn’t just feed the audience’s spirit with stories of one-on-one connections made with the homeless—they fed them Nutella-drenched crepes, as well. Dozens from the church left with full bellies along with a commitment to help this small but powerful non-profit organization that feeds people “spirit, soul and body by using food to open the door to people’s hearts.”

Christ the King Church in Bayberry is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, having opened its doors in 1964.
In order to commemorate the occasion, the church will hold an open house this Sunday, May 18, after its 10:30 a.m. Mass.

St. Matthew’s to celebrate Holy Week with a mix of tradition and faith

More than one billion Catholics across the world are in the midst of observing Holy Week, which began with a Palm Sunday service and will conclude with a final mass on Easter. Holy Week, the last week of Lent, is an deeply spiritual time of year for the Catholic Church – it begins with a celebration on Palm Sunday, then turns into a solemn observance of Jesus Christ’s death and ends with an elaborate, joyful celebration of Christ’s resurrection on Easter.

On his first visit to the United States, in the midst of an East Coast tour, international gospel sensation and social activist Tembalami is spending some of his time in Cazenovia and performing three concerts in the village this week. Tembalami Tagwirei— who is typically known simply as “Tembalami” — is a gospel musician from Zimbabwe with a passion for inspiring, motivating and educating the current as well as the next generation.

The First Presbyterian Church of Cazenovia in conjunction with the Morrisville Community Church will hold a Service of Divine Worship at 7:30 p.m. on Ash Wednesday, March 5, at the Morrisville Community Church, located on 3824 Swamp Road, Morrisville. The service will include readings from the Old and New Testament, the Imposition of Ashes, a Responsive Litany of Penitence and a Lord’s Prayer Litany. The Meditation “The Father Who Sees in Secret” will be given by Rev. Steve Thomas, pastor of the Cazenovia Presbyterian Church.

Menorah Park of CNY dedicated the Temple Beth El Community Room, a public space containing artifacts from the former temple on Feb. 16. An overflow crowd of community and religious leaders, along with people affiliated with the former Temple Beth-El congregation, were present.